Ears clogged, but I can't pinpoint the problem

[Knuspar]

sounds like the beginning of socalled "swimmers ear" i experienced this my self some time ago ..

Id just like to add .. "I use a three part mixture of 70 % rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and white vinegar." that this works.

Get some Docs pro plugs for further dicving imo. And use what a swedish guy refered to me to as the "dog method" meaning .. dont put anything into your ears EVER thats smaller than your thumb ! In other words, leave your ears alone, dont remove wax or anything with a stick or whatever comes into mind.

I ended up having a double infection, and was 100% deaf for 3 days as my ears were completly closed .. all i rember from the 3 days was the pain, and also how much i looked forward to the posibility of beeing able to hear again ! .. worst 3 days by far of my life!

I had beginning swimmers ear again once i dove in the red sea, and some of the DMs found something to drip into my ears, i dont recall its name of the top of my head, but it disinfects your ears.

Good luck with it, oh, and consider denmark, we have ~48% workers tax BUT free health insurance

 

[DandyDon]

sounds like the beginning of socalled "swimmers ear" i experienced this my self some time ago ..

I am often tempted to say something like that, but really no one knows until a medical pro looks in the ear. Otherwise it can be impossible here to know if the problem is (from the DAN article I referenced above)...

• Otitis externa (swimmers ear)
• Barotitis Media (middle ear barotrauma)
• Otitis Media (middle ear infection)
• Inner Ear Barotrauma:
• Tympanic Membrane (TM) Rupture
• External Ear Canal Superficial Vessel Rupture

Also from that article...

NOTE: No article can give you the same degree of information as an experienced medical practitioner. DAN suggests all persons with any ear discomfort should be examined by a trained medical practitioner as soon as possible after the complaint develops.

Id just like to add .. "I use a three part mixture of 70 % rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and white vinegar." that this works.

I don't know how this mix got to be popular in some circles as it really is wrong, altho like I said above - probably harmless as the H2O2 breaks down to water pretty quickly in that solution I think. I have never seen a medical pro suggest such. Leave out the H2O2 or substitute sterile water for the same effect.

Get some Docs pro plugs for further dicving imo.

Now those are popular with some, but not a cure-all.

And use what a swedish guy refered to me to as the "dog method" meaning .. dont put anything into your ears EVER thats smaller than your thumb ! In other words, leave your ears alone, dont remove wax or anything with a stick or whatever comes into mind.

True

I ended up having a double infection, and was 100% deaf for 3 days as my ears were completly closed .. all i rember from the 3 days was the pain, and also how much i looked forward to the posibility of beeing able to hear again ! .. worst 3 days by far of my life!

I had beginning swimmers ear again once i dove in the red sea, and some of the DMs found something to drip into my ears, i dont recall its name of the top of my head, but it disinfects your ears.

Good luck with it, oh, and consider denmark, we have ~48% workers tax BUT free health insurance

I even asked my grandson's Ear doctor what to use in his ears when swimming immediately after ear-tube surgery? "Alcohol-vinegar mix." If you're not a DAN member, maybe you'd like to ask your free Ear physician...??

 

[Knuspar]

What i had was Otitis externa, quite simple outer ear infection. Happens , among other things, when your ears are flooded often, and eventually all ear wax is out of the ear, then youre very likely to get a bacterial infection in the ear, and viola .. Otitis externa is yours =/ Hurts like hell if not treated properly ..

Just wanna say, i agree with DandyDon .. im not a doctor, i just know what helped me, and id link to suggest that #0 find $ to go to a doctor about hes ears.

I dident have any clue about this vinegar/alcohol mix but i used it with success for a short period in 2007. Today id consider having some of theese Docs pro plug, that plus even if its a warm areaf, bring a hat or something to cover your ears from the wind .. i saw quite a few do that in egypt!

 

[goldenwingk]

I just received my OW cert last weekend. During this weekend we did 4 dives along with a pool dive.

In general, I had no problems with equalization. I did it often but I'm pretty sure I should be doing it even more often if the tips I have read were correct (every 2 feet or so).
On the first or second dive, I was tilting my body in various directions while trying to better understand neutral buoyancy. During one of these flips, I had this sudden rush of what sounded like water go into my ear...followed by a full feeling in my ears (no pain or vertigo). I also felt a similar rush happen during my 4th dive (same thing with flips and swimming sideways).

This is normal for me....happened all the time while swimming and doing flips or swimming sideways underwater. Usually it just clears out at night or with some crazy headbanging.

Well after the 1st day (1st and 2nd dives), I did have some difficulty getting my land legs back after getting off the boat. Everything was quite wavy for almost a day. I also did NOT get seasick on the 1st boat ride. The 2nd day (3rd and 4th dives) the REVERSE happened. I DID get seasick on the boat but I had no problem getting my land legs back. This was after my ears were clogged up.

Problem is, it is now 4 days after the last dive, and I cannot get this full feeling out of my ear. My left ear is much more clogged than my right ear. I've tried the typical whiplash techniques but nothing would come out. Tried loosening my earwax, but none has coming out (I do seem to have an extra build up of wax in my ears and it has been decades since I've had them professionally cleaned out). I still do not feel pain, although I did have a bit of brief discomfort in one of my ears (the least clogged) when I woke up today.

I'd like to solve this....and going to an ear doctor is a problem. I cannot afford a session at the moment (no insurance).

Well thank you for reading such a long post. Any advice will be well received.

Frustraded Diver

water can be stuck in your ear happens to me all the time, and i hate it alot!
after a dive if your left ear is clogged tilt your head side ways and hope on your left foot if its th eright then do the same but on the right leg.

and if your ears are still clogged go to a doctor

 

[silvernotch]

Where did you get the idea that hydrogen peroxide was a good idea in your ears? Wow!

actually my mother use to do it when I was a kid. I think it was something her mother did, and her mother did, etc. but after I talked to the doctor, NEVER AGAIN!!

 

[panchodiver]

Ok, so a quick update,

I finally went to a doctor (not an ENT though) and they checked my ears and said they were immaculate. No visible blood or bruising of the ear was noted. The doctor suggested that I just pressurize often (about once every hour or so) and eventually whatever is trapped in the Eustachian tube will eventually work itself out.

So basically, I started pressurizing often and the feeling of water in the ear started going away. Today its basically gone. I also took a few decongestants and stayed away from dairy to help quicken the process.

I still wonder WHY I had that feeling for so long in my ear? It is possible that whenever I DID have water in my ear previously, I would just pressurize often...and it would go away. I chose not to do that this time since I read somewhere that pressurizing (above water) could POSSIBLY increase a chance of infection in the ear (if there is a problem in the first place).

It's also possible I DID experience some baurotrauma and the doctor didn't know enough to diagnose it.

Well, here's hoping to some future diving! Thanks for all the help.

-pancho